Unionicola (Edwardsatax) crassipalpis Walter, 1915

Smit, Harry, 2008, Australian Unionicola (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Unionicolidae), with the description of two new subgenera and eight new species, Zootaxa 1674, pp. 1-26 : 2-3

Unionicola (Edwardsatax) crassipalpis Walter, 1915

Unionicola crassipalpis Walter, 1915: 104 ; Wiles 1990: 280.

Unionicola (Pentatax) crassipalpis K.O. Viets 1980: 151, 1981: 334 ; Cook 1986: 162. Unionicola (Edwardsatax) crassipalpis Vidrine 1992: 464 ; Wiles 1997: 409; Harvey 1998: 143.

Material examined. Northern Territory: 2 males, Jim Jim Billabong at crossing with Kakadu Highway, Kakadu NP, 22 July 1994; 1 male, Mardugal Billabong, Kakadu NP, 21 July 1994; 6 males, 5 females, pond in Jim Jim Creek, at Jim Jim Crossing, Kakadu NP, 22 July 1994; 1 male, 17 females, pond in Jim Jim Creek, near Jim Jim campground, Kakadu NP, 23 July 1994; 1 nymph, pool near Jim Jim Falls, Kakadu NP, 23 July 1994; 1 male, Plunge pool Barramundie Creek, Kakadu NP, 13° 19’07.56”S 132° 26’16.61”E, 24 July 1994; 1 male, Barramundie Creek, Kakadu NP, 24 July 1994; 1 male, 1 female, 1 nymph, plunge pool Gunlom Falls, Kakadu NP, 25 July 1994; 1 male, Lily Pond Falls, Katherine Gorge NP (= Nitmiluk NP), 14° 18.801 S 132° 28.326 E, 27 July 1994; 1 male, 5 females, Plunge pool Edith Falls, Katherine Gorge NP (= Nitmiluk NP), 14° 10.899 S 132° 11.342 E, 30 July 1994; 1 female, Manton Dam, 12° 51.726 S 131° 0 7.148 E, 1 August 1994; 4 males, 3 females, waterhole Ormiston Gorge, Ormiston Gorge NP, 6 August 1994; 2 nymph, Crossing Pool, Millstream-Chichester NP, 21° 34’55.16”S 117° 5’37.72”E, 16 August 1994; 2 males, pond Snake Creek, Millstream-Chichester NP, 21° 20’39.86”S 117° 14’30.34´E, 17 August 1994; 2 males, Florence Creek downstream of Florence Falls, Litchfield NP, 13° 0 5.885 S 130° 46.999 E, 25 September 2005; 1 nymph, Walker Creek, Litchfield NP, 13° 0 4.694 S 130° 41.929 E, 25 September 2005; 1 female, Kambolgie Creek, Kakadu NP, 13° 30.169 S 132° 23.688 E, 30 September 2005; 1 female, pools Waterfall Creek, upstream of falls, Kakadu NP, 13° 25.762 S 132° 25.089 E, 1 October 2005; 2 males, 4 females, Plunge pool Edith Falls, Nitmiluk NP, 14° 10.899 S 132° 11.342 E, 2 October 2005; 4 males, 6 females, 1 nymph, Edith River downstream of plunge pool, Nitmiluk NP, 14° 10.885 S 132° 11. 271 E, 2 October 2005; 2 males, 1 female, Lily Pond, Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk NP, 14° 18.801 S 132° 28.326 E, 3 October 2005; 4 males, 6 females, Campbell Springs, 38 km E of Victoria River Roadhouse, Gregory NP, 15° 29.749 S 131° 23.328 E, 4 October 2005; 1 female, Roper River, 14° 57.111 S 133° 13.401 E, 6 October 2005. Queensland: 1 female, Fitzroy River, Rockhampton, 1 February 1982, leg. A.P. Mackay; 2 females, Hann Crossing (stagnant), Lakefield NP, 14° 45’ 57.30” S 144° 04’ 46.60” E, 4 September 2000; 1 female, Shallow pool along road to Hanush Waterhole, Lakefield NP, 4 September 2000; 1 male, Catfish Waterhole, Lakefield NP, 15° 3’ 57.50” S 144° 17’ 8.43” E, 4 September 2000; 2 males, Cockatoo Creek, Cape York Peninsula, 11 September 2000; 1 female, Lake Moondarra, Mt Isa, 20° 35.274 S 139° 34.357 E, 8 October 2005; 3 males, 15 females, Porcupine Creek, Porcupine Gorge NP, 20° 21.039 S 144° 27.852 E, 23 October 2005; 1 nymph, small lake S of Biggenden, along road Biggenden-Maryborough, 25° 33.583 S 152° 0 7.345 E, 1 November 2005. Western Australia: 1 male, Fortescue Falls (pools), Hamersley Range NP, 22° 28’39.18 “S 118° 33’3.04” E, 11 August 1994; 1 female, Pond Dales Gorge, Hamersley Range NP, 22° 28’37.53’’ S 118° 33’26.66’’ E, 12 August 1994; 3 males, 3 females, pond Kalamina Gorge near falls, Hamersley Range NP, 22° 24’48.08” S 118° 24’34.50” E, 13 August 1994; 1 male, 7 females, 1 nymph, Pond Knox Gorge, Hamersley Range NP, 22° 22’12.39” S 118° 17’51.81”E, 13 August 1994; 1 female, pool Joffre Gorge, Hamersley Range NP, 22° 23’32.77”S 118° 16’7.35”E, 13 August 1994; 3 females, Python Pool, Millstream-Chichester NP, 21° 20’0.88”S 117° 14’18.89”E, 17 August 1994; 2 males, 5 females, Ashburton River at crossing with North West Coastal Highway, 22° 32’ 38.17” S 115° 29’ 54.14” E, 18 August 1994; 3 males, 1 female, Fortescue River, at crossing with North West Coastal Highway, 21° 17’36.95”S 116° 8’38.63”E, 18 August 1994; 1 female, Cockatoo Creek at crossing with Great Northern Highway, E of Broome, 8 September 1998; 1 male, pool downstream of Manning Gorge, at campground, The Kimberley, 12 September 1998; 11 males, 21 females, pool Galvans Gorge, The Kimberley, 12 September 1998; 1 male, 5 females, pool Manning Gorge Falls, The Kimberley, 13 September 1998; 3 females, Russ Creek at crossing with Gibb River Road, The Kimberley, 14 September 1998; 1 male, 3 females, Jack’s Waterhole, along Gibb River Road, The Kimberley, 14 September 1998; 1 male, 3 females, Miners’s Pool, Drysdale River Homestead, The Kimberley, 14 September 1998; 1 female, Lake Kununurra, 10 km SE of Kununurra, 15° 52’7.45 “S 128° 45’46.75” E, 19 September 1998; 2 males, 2 females, plunge pool The Grotto, S of Wyndham, 20 September 1998; 3 males, 4 females, Palm Springs, S of Halls Creek, 25 September 1998; 1 male, 1 female, pool Saw Pit Gorge, S of Halls Creek, 25 September 1998; 1 male, 3 females, Geikie Gorge, western part, Geikie Gorge NP, 18° 7’23.92”S 125° 39’42.47”E, 28 September 1998; 1 male, pool W of Tunnel Creek, Tunnel Creek NP, 30 September 1998. New South Wales: 2 males, 3 females, Lake Ainsworth, N of Ballina, 28° 47.053 S 153° 35.569 E, 8 November 2005.

Remarks. Unionicola crassipalpis is a widespread species, known from New Caledonia, New Guinea and Sulawesi. Within Australia, the species has been reported from Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory ( Viets 1981, Harvey 1998), and is reported here for the first time from Western Australia.